Evel Knievel, the only daredevil to transcend sideshow spectacle and penetrate the national consciousness, has died at age 69. Probably best know for his spectacular successes and failure on Wide World of Sports, Knievel never failed to entertain. Check out some of his best and worst performances:
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Sunday Music Spotlight alums Rilo Kiley cover Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door”, along with fellow alum Feist and Death Cab for Cutie’s frontman Ben Gibbard. Jenny Lewis is cute when she’s drunk…
Ok, this might require a little explanation. 2 Girls 1 Cup is a video making it around teh internets. It’s one of the most disgusting things you’ll ever see. If you want to know all about it, here’s the Urban Dictionary description. If you actually want to see it, you can watch it at the official site, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now back to our regularly scheduled program…
An interesting phenomenon has sprung up around 2 Girls 1 Cup: people are video taping other people’s reactions to seeing it for the first time. Now someone has made a parody of those reaction videos. Keeping up? Without further ado, here’s Kermit the Frog watching 2 Girls 1 Cup (without showing any of the original video):
This song is like crack…So much so that Sony is using it in a camera commercial now. Anyway, here’s the official video (with one of the cooler animation techniques I’ve seen in a while):
It’s fun to see Jack White as a bullfighter, and Meg as his assistant, in the video for their cover of Patti Page’s “Conquest”. Meg leads Jack into the bullring. Jack fights the bull, wearing him down. Then the magic happens…
“Conquest” is the newest single from Icky Thump.
Slashfilm rustled up some new photos from the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the fourth film in the Indy trilogy canon. I was very skeptical about this movie in the beginning, but it looks like Harrison Ford can still pull off being Indy. So I guess I’m actually kind of looking forward to it now.
Click on the pics for the full size:
Quiet Riot singer and frontman Kevin Dubrow was found dead today in his Las Vegas home. He was 52. No word yet on the cause of death. In Dubrow’s honor, here’s Quiet Riot’s biggest hit, a cover of Slade’s “Come on Feel the Noize”
Music brings people together. In the case of Ido and Estelle from Elephant Parade, music brought them together, but not in the way you might expect. The two happened to be at an 80’s party in New York. The bad music being played led them to strike up a conversation about what they would play if they controlled the stereo. After realizing they had similar tastes they decided to get together to record some songs.
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Pro Wrestler and reality TV star Hulk Hogan might want to start paying attention to those uber-irritating eHarmony commercials. Hogan’s wife Linda filed for divorce this week, and it what can only be seen as a bad sign, the Hulkster found out about it from a reporter seeking comment. Yoink.
Hogan and his family have been featured on the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best for the past few years. Recent episodes showed Hulk and Linda attending counseling, but also showed them reconciling. Guess that didn’t work out.
No problem Hulkster. Just say your prayers and eat your vitamins and everything will work out.
I’m traveling for Thanksgiving, but here’s a little post-holiday turkey to chew on. The famous Simpsons couch scene rendered in sand…
The fine folks at AOL’s The DL have put together a short video that explains what indie music is and how to tell it apart from major label schlock. Dead on!
There’s just something about The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” that lends itself to being covered. Here’s a lo-fi soul/funk cover by Nostalgia 77 with Alice Russell on vocals:
Nostalgia 77 - Seven Nation Army
And here’s Alice with her band performing it live:
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Today Apple posted the first full trailer for J.J. Abrams’ new monster movie Cloverfield. Go ahead and watch it, then we’ll discuss:
Cloverfield has a great concept for a monster movie: New York is under attack by a mysterious monster, and the only info the audience gets is from a home movie camera. The trailer hints at just how cool this concept can be. Unlike some recent trainers (*cough*The Mist*cough*) it doesn’t show us what the monster is, or even give us much of a hint. Instead it only tells us “whatever it is, it’s winning”. Brilliant!
We have to wait until January 18th, 2008 to find out if Abrams keeps his hot streak (which includes Lost
As Mr. Whipple actor Dick Wilson implored generations of shoppers not to squeeze the Charmin. Wilson died today at the age of 91. He made over 500 Charmin commercials over a 25 year span, an amazingly consistent advertising campaign. In addition Wilson made guest appearances on sitcoms ranging from Bewitched to Alice.
I propose a 21 squeeze salute as a tribute. Or, failing that, let’s at least watch a couple of his famous commercials…
Justin Vernon didn’t move to northern Wisconsin to record an album. After his longtime band broke up he moved into a cabin in the woods to find solace and solitude, not musical inspiration. He chopped firewood, watched sunsets, and relished the peace and quiet. Then a funny thing happened.
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How can these three men go together? When Williams died in 1953 he left behind the lyrics to many songs that he hadn’t gotten to record. Now Bob Dylan is leading an effort to put those songs to music and record them, and he’s enlisted The White Stripes’ Jack White to help.
White arranged and recorded Williams’ “You Know That I Know” with a group of friends, including fellow Raconteur Dean Fertita and Dylan guitarist Donny Herron. Apparently Dylan also recorded one of the songs, and Willie Nelson and Norah Jones may also be in the mix. Can’t wait to hear what this all comes to…
Have you ever wanted one of Isaac’s paintings from Heroes? Or maybe one of the props from The Office, 30 Rock, or Friday Night Lights? Well now’s your chance.
NBC is launching an online auction on Monday to sell props and memorabilia from some of it’s most popular shows. Included are three of Isaac’s paintings, Claire’s cheerleading uniform, melted props, and a comic book from Heroes, warehouse shirts and Michael’s Timex watch from The Office, and jerseys, footballs, and helmets from Friday Night Lights.
I would imagine that some of these items are going to fetch a pretty penny from some over anxious fanboys. Interestingly, only a portion of the proceeds are going to The United Way. It doesn’t say what’s happening to the rest of the proceeds, so I can only assume NBC is saving up to pay the writers and end the strike…
Punk cover mavens Me First and the Gimme Gimmes take on two Dolly Parton classics in this week’s Random Covers. First they take on the oft-covered “Jolene”, the lament of a housewife whose husband is being tempted by a beautiful seductress.
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Jolene
Then they take on “I Will Always Love You”
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - I Will Always Love You
(no Whitney fans, she didn’t do the song first, and the Dolly version is way more tolerable anyway)
For good measure, here’s The White Stripes covering “Jolene” as well:
In this interview with MTV Heath Ledger describes his version of The Joker as having “zero empathy”. He also says it’s the most fun he’s ever had in a role. Hmm, playing The Joker is more fun than playing a gay cowboy?
The Dark Knight hits theaters July 18th, 2008.
College Humor put together this mockup of what an episode of 24 would have looked like if the show was set in 1994. Check out the hilarity as Jack Bauer and the CTU team tackle pagers, floppy disks, dial-up internet, and pay phones:
With 29 members and impeccable pop sensibilities I’m From Barcelona is like The Polyphonic Spree without the creepy cultish overtones. Unlike the Spree they don’t dress in robes or black military outfits. But like the Spree, I’m from Barcelona leverages their large membership and unusual instrumentation into uniquely catchy songs.
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Starting Monday, November 12th ABC will start posting miniature episodes (or minisodes) of Lost on ABC.com. The minisodes will feature small vingettes about the Losties that fit into the overall mythology of the show. Each episode will be two to three minutes long and feature newly shot footage.
The first minisode will be called “The Watch” and will focus on Jack. No word yet on whether it’s pre-Island Jack, on-island Jack, or post-Island Jack though.
On a separate but related note, the producers of Lost announced that unlike 24, their season will start on time in February. They have eight episodes complete, and if the strike isn’t over when those episodes run out we’ll just be left waiting.
The writers/cast members of The Office are of course on strike with the Writer’s Guild of America. In this video they attempt to explain some of the reasons for the strike, in their own humorous way.
When ESPN sent a crew to New Mexico State University to cover a football game they sent Rob Stone to shoot a little flavor piece for the broadcast. Unfortunately for Rob the flavor was OUCH. NMSU is where they grow the world’s hottest chili pepper, the Bhut Jolokia. Rob was game for trying one. So he did his lead in to the story, then casually took a bite of the pepper. Watch to find out what happened next…
Fox announced today that the upcoming seventh season of 24 will not start on January 13th as it was originally scheduled. Due to the ongoing Writers’ Guild of America strike Fox is postponing the show indefinitely. The show has traditionally run uninterrupted seasons, and with no end to the strike in sight I guess Fox didn’t want to risk having a break in the middle of the season. Boooooooooooo
The music video for the title song from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is out. It’s a montage of various performance of the song throughout Dewey’s career. I’ve got to say, the more I see of this movie the funnier it looks. John C. Reilly looks perfect as Cox and Jack White looks like a great Elvis. I can’t wait until December 21st.
Here’s the video:
Heroes creator and writer Tim Kring apologized to fans for the series’ slow start this season. He admitted that the writers have made some mistakes in how they’ve handled the storylines and characters thus far. Specifically he admitted that the pace has been too slow, they’ve mishandled introducing new characters, they didn’t establish the stakes soon enough, and they left Hiro in Japan too long.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything he’s owning up to. Last season Heroes had me anticipating the next episode. This year I almost forget to watch it. Apparently I’m not the only one that has issues with it. The ratings are down 15% so far this season. Hopefully for Kring admitting there’s a problem is the first step to fixing it.
Check out the full story at Entertainment Weekly
First it was Alfonso Ribeiro. Now it’s Vin Diesel. Apparently break dancing videos were HUGE back in the day, because both of them made videos to teach you how to be the hippest of hoppers. Looking back on this it’s hard to believe anyone actually thought this was cool…
Get used to reality TV and news shows. The Writers Guild of America officially went on strike today, meaning that many of our favorite TV shows will be in reruns for the foreseeable future. Talk shows like Leno, Letterman, Conan, and The Daily Show will be in reruns immediately. Scripted shows will take a little while since they have completed shows they can air.
There’s lots of coverage of various aspects of the strike and its effects. Here’s a sampling:
- Heroes taped an alternate ending to an episode set to run in December. Will use that as season finally if strike goes too long.
- Writers are hitting the picket lines
- Some writer/actors put in tough spots, like many members of the cast of The Office
Let’s hope that they can work this out quickly and get us back to mind-numbing entertainment!
It’s not often you come across a musical act named for a bug that someone found on their head. Deer Tick’s songs mix Delta Blues, straight-ahead country, and old school rock n’ roll into an emotionally-charged melange of musical flavors. All of the songs are infused with a distinctive voice, which at times recalls a young Tom Waits. The man behind the voice is John McCauley, the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist behind the name Deer Tick.
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White Stripes singer/guitarist Jack White gets to be Elvis in the upcoming Judd Apatow mock biopic Walk Hard. White isn’t exactly a newcommer to playing a musician on screen though. He played a traveling musician in the Civil War movie Cold Mountain (and did a damn good job of it).
Apparently White stepped in and worked very smoothly with star John C. Reilly, leading to Apatow saying “I found [him] irritating because he’s like the coolest guy on Earth, and the greatest rock musician, and writer, and performer you’ve ever seen – and ALSO funny? He could do what we do just in his sleep - as an afterthought.”
I, for one, welcome our new guitar playing overlords…
MTV Movies Blog has the full story
UPDATE:
Here’s a clip of Jack as Elvis from the trailer:
Another picture of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight has surfaced, this time via a viral marketing campaign for the movie. The pic shows The Joker in the backseat of a car, in the backseat of a car. I can’t really tell a lot about the movie from it, but the makeup looks great. It’s another hint that Ledger’s take on The Clown Prince of Crime is going to be very, very dark.
For details on the marketing campaign that revealed the photo, and some hardcore fanboy discussion, check Ain’t it Cool News.
This is probably the most random of the Random Covers. It’s a manualist named Gerry Phillips performing the theme from Super Mario Brothers. What’s a manualist? It’s a person who makes music by squeezing their hands together, forcing air out in the process. It sounds kind of like farting in tune…
If you’ve got some time to kill I highly recommend checking out Gerry’s full YouTube page. He has 62 videos up there, ranging from covers of Britney Spears, Journey, and Ozzy Osbourne to his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel performing “Bohemian Rhapsody”. I’m gobsmacked.
As I’ve discussed before, American Gangster was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Actors Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe, director Ridley Scott, and producer Brian Grazer all have award-winning pedigrees. The subject matter, the true story of a Vietnam War-era drug kingpin in Harlem and the cop assigned to take him down, is the type of story that Oscar seems to love. Is there any way a movie could live up to such weighty expectations?
For the most part, yes. The first half of the film has some pacing issues and drags a bit. But the second half more than makes up for it. The story is engaging, the characters believable and complex, and the performances are impeccable. Both Washington and Crowe give Oscar-caliber performances. In fact the only criticism I have of either of them is that Denzel was acting a bit too much like Denzel. Other than that it was great. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see American Gangster take a stranglehold on Oscar nominations.
Rating: 
NBC has put production of Heroes: Origins on hold before production has even started. The network claims that the impending writer’s strike is the reason, though it’s feasible that the poor ratings for this season’s Heroes
This is a bummer since Kevin Smith was set to write and direct the first episode. Probably a good idea though, since the writers of Heroes don’t have their shit together right now.
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